Module 3

If you want to find an answer, you must first know how to ask the question! The PICO format is a helpful tool for formulating clinical questions. The next step is translating the major elements of the question into searchable terms, and knowing how to combine these terms (e.g. Boolean operators). Without understanding the "language" of the database you are using (e.g. MeSH terms in PubMed), your search may not yield accurate or complete results. Finally, you must be able to narrow down your results (e.g. apply limits, review abstracts) and manage your resources in order to extract meaningful information with appropriate citations. These steps form the basis for literature search and review in clinical research for evidence based practice.

In this module we practiced utilizing clinical databases and reference management software, two essential tools for our education and future careers. I received crash course in both of these programs (PubMed and EndNote) in my first semester of the DNP program last fall, when we jumped in with both feet in N6000 Evidence Based Practice I. It was worthwhile to review the tutorials again and familiarize myself with some additional functionalities of both programs. I continue to use both programs almost daily in most of my courses, as they make literature review simultaneously more thorough and less time-consuming.